What's Your New Years Resolution for 2015?

Originally Posted by SteveSki

Thanks Cornell, That's a great system.
Have you ever considered Aquaponics?

Cheers,
Stephen Shulenski

Hi Stephen:

There are several members of the RGGS group that have incorporated it into the system, with several more planning on doing it in 2015. Personally I haven't but am aware of it. I am currently working on plans for erecting a 30' diameter geodesic dome for greenhouse growing, and part of the passive system for heating and cooling includes a pond within it which will also be aquaponics related...so will serve dual purpose of temperature control as well as the aquaponics for a portion of the plants within the dome.

Thanks for asking and looking at the system...personally I find there is nothing more pleasurable than being able to pick and eat fresh.

Cornell

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

Hi Cornell,

I agree - growing something in your garden, and eating the result, is a bit like experiencing one of nature's "miracles"...

I'm not currently growing any veggies, but we have some fruit trees... Peaches, miniature plums, apples, pears, and lemons. We also have an exotic fruit called loquats (or Japanese plums), which was planted by a former neighbor (who's since moved) on the border, though most of the branches with fruit seem to come on to our side of the border! (For some reason, the current neighbor seems to leave the "harvest" on their side for the birds to eat, so I don't think they mind.)

I looked up the RGGS - Rain Gutter Grow System, and I found this introductory video...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyOIRVjatdg

Looks like a great system for growing vegetables!

I had a look at your photos, Cornell, and you sure have a great "crop" there! (I also like your alternative use of a kiddie pool!)

Thanks, Cornell!

Planting the seed, and reaping the harvest... it's also not too different from "growing" a business...

Best wishes,

Dien

Hi Dien:

Thanks for looking, and now I am jealous...wish I had the fruit trees you are blessed with. I grew up with fruit trees all over my parents property and sure do miss them. Unfortunately the soil here is solid, rock hard clay and the fruit trees do not fare well in it at all.

I was kind of amazed at the results obtained in the kiddie pools...these are one of the areas I will be expanding next year.

You are absolutely correct about the seeds...falls right in with the dual meaning behind the logo for SOWpub

Cornell

Originally Posted by Cornell

I am currently working on plans for erecting a 30' diameter geodesic dome for greenhouse growing, and part of the passive system for heating and cooling includes a pond within it which will also be aquaponics related...so will serve dual purpose of temperature control as well as the aquaponics for a portion of the plants within the dome.

Thanks for asking and looking at the system...personally I find there is nothing more pleasurable than being able to pick and eat fresh.

Cornell

Hi Cornell,

If you take your dome, pond, RGGS system and add some solar panels to keep the lights on and the pumps going you can be fully self-sustaining.
It’s the best way to go if you want to make sure you are consuming only fresh GMO free organic food.

Cheers,
Steve Shulenski

This "Freedom Business" is everything you could ever want in an opportunity!

I had the pleasure of meeting Ron Popeil when I was living in the Aspen area.

His money-making "system" was to create a product, make a prototype, make a Video Commercial, get a Store Chain like Walgreen's to pay to be on the Tag (where to buy) and commit to paying for X units and X #of commercials THEN......he would produce the units.

I tried the same thing when a plastic Co asked me if I could help them promote their product. It was a plastic bar with a paddle on each end and a rubber ball hanging from a rubber string in the middle of the bar.

The idea was to get the ball swinging so you could bounce it back and forth between the paddles.

Well.....I made an agreement where I'd get 5cents from each one sold. I put together a commercial for them and had Walgreen's interested when the owner of the Plastic Co phoned me one morning and told me Walgreen's had cancelled.

It turned out that we called the product "Teeny-Bopper" and......Walgreens discovered that "Teeny-Bopper" had become a "bad name" in England. So, we gave it up.

However, that was 35 yrs go. Maybe the thing would go, now. But, I'm not getting back into THAT biz ever again.

Don Alm

Originally Posted by SteveSki

Hi Cornell,

If you take your dome, pond, RGGS system and add some solar panels to keep the lights on and the pumps going you can be fully self-sustaining.
It’s the best way to go if you want to make sure you are consuming only fresh GMO free organic food.

Cheers,
Steve Shulenski

This "Freedom Business" is everything you could ever want in an opportunity!

Hi Steve:

Yes, yes, yes, and yes....I am really pumped on this endeavor with the dome. My whole intention will be to arrive (through experimentation) at as close to zero cost for lighting and heating as possible.....have ideas on 2 standby heat sources to augment the passive that will cost next to nothing to operate if and when needed. Also will be experimenting with 2 wind generators along with solar panels for auxillary lighting if needed.

The dome is so much more efficient than the standard greenhouse, and I have located a covering that is UV resistant with a guaranteed 10 year life, diffuses the light so there is no shading anywhere in the dome, and also only has a 45% heat loss during the night hours...which will make the passive so much more effective. Heat loss in a standard greenhouse with glass, plastic, or polycarbonate covering is so very, very, poor.

Also with the 30' diameter dome comes a clear center height of 15'. I have designed a version of the RGGS for this that when combined with this clear 15' height will allow moveable raised platforms 7' in the air that will house my ever bearing strawberry plants...and due to the nature of the dome covering, the plants below in the RGGS will still get full sunlight.

Also with the dome I can easily add an adjoining 15' diameter dome for colder weather plants...so basically can have the best of both warm and cooler season veggies in their own individual climatized growing areas year round. With the exception of dairy, poultry (eggs), and meat I should be self reliant for food....no matter what comes along. Also have access to large, free, natural supply of water with a filtration system ready to go for it, and as I only grow heirloom plants (seed saving) will always have the plants.

Cornell

Originally Posted by Cornell

Hi Steve:

Yes, yes, yes, and yes....I am really pumped on this endeavor with the dome. My whole intention will be to arrive (through experimentation) at as close to zero cost for lighting and heating as possible.....have ideas on 2 standby heat sources to augment the passive that will cost next to nothing to operate if and when needed. Also will be experimenting with 2 wind generators along with solar panels for auxillary lighting if needed.

The dome is so much more efficient than the standard greenhouse, and I have located a covering that is UV resistant with a guaranteed 10 year life, diffuses the light so there is no shading anywhere in the dome, and also only has a 45% heat loss during the night hours...which will make the passive so much more effective. Heat loss in a standard greenhouse with glass, plastic, or polycarbonate covering is so very, very, poor.

Also with the 30' diameter dome comes a clear center height of 15'. I have designed a version of the RGGS for this that when combined with this clear 15' height will allow moveable raised platforms 7' in the air that will house my ever bearing strawberry plants...and due to the nature of the dome covering, the plants below in the RGGS will still get full sunlight.

Also with the dome I can easily add an adjoining 15' diameter dome for colder weather plants...so basically can have the best of both warm and cooler season veggies in their own individual climatized growing areas year round. With the exception of dairy, poultry (eggs), and meat I should be self reliant for food....no matter what comes along. Also have access to large, free, natural supply of water with a filtration system ready to go for it, and as I only grow heirloom plants (seed saving) will always have the plants.

Cornell

That's great!

I hope you are recording / documenting it each step of the way.

Would make a nice info product or free bait on a list building capture page.

Then when your plants go to seed you can package and sell 'Cornell's Heirloom Seeds'.

Use your info product to market your seeds or sell the info products and you'll throw in an assortment of seeds as a free bonus... or use them as a OTO. 50% off the regular price.

Some chickens and goats would be a nice addition but you'll be surprised how many fish a good aquaponics system will produce each year. You can survive on salads, vegetables, berries and fish!

You are going to have a lot of fun with it!

Sow some good seeds come planting season, and enjoy your harvest for many years to come!

Cheers,
Steve

This "Freedom Business" is everything you could ever want in an opportunity!

Back in Dec 1990 we moved into our new home in Oregon (from Colorado) and there was a guy on Home and Garden Channel promoting his "Square Foot Gardening".

So.....I bought the book and watched the program religiously. Dug up a 10 by 20 section of back yard.....down 3ft and added amendments to enrich the soil and planted my first Square Ft Garden.

It was WONDERFUL. The author even showed how to grow tomatoes on a 4x8 sheet of chicken wire stretched over a frame. I planted 4 plants at the base, making 4 columns and as the plants grew I'd snip off the flowers as they came out until the plants were at the top of the 8ft frame and WHALA, from those 4 plants we had MANY POUNDS of tomatoes all summer.

Plus.....cucumbers and eggplants like we've never seen before.....including the largest pumpkin we've ever grown. We named it "Big-Boy".

2 yrs ago our church bought 2 acres of land next to our church. A few of us planted a garden on 1 1/2 acre and raised 12,000 lbs of veggies and in 2014 brought 22,000 POUNDS of veggies to 3 local charities. We're looking forward to 2015 to see how much we can grow.

I haven't checked but I'll bet "Square Foot Gardening" is available somewhere.

Don Alm.....looking forward to Spring Planting

Hi Steve:

Yes...have domain secured for it

Thanks.

Cornell

Don, you bet there's all kinds of books on Amazon related to Mel Batholomew's "Square Foot Gardening," and lots of videos on youtube, too.

Are you using the fundamentals of SFG at your church's garden?

By the way, that doesn't sound like a garden, sounds like a small farm! Nice harvest numbers!